Who’s in your nightmares?!

The Nightmares of Finnegan Quick

Written by: Larry Hayes @LarryHayesAuthr

Published by: Bloomsbury Children’s Books @KidsBloomsbury

Published on: January 2025

Price: £7.99

First Line: Whoever finds this, be warned.

Genre: Horror

Age: 10+

Thanks to LoveReading4Kids for the review copy.

What’s it all about? Finnegan Quick is plagued by nightmares that are always there and even worse, often come true, just at the worst moment. His dog, his parents and possibly other people are now missing, not in his nightmares, but in real life. Could his Grandma be next? Then he really would be alone. With his best mate, Squid and the new, strange girl at school they battle the demons they meet and try to stop sleep from taking over.

Why should I read it? A pacy read, and quite terrifying for those under 10! The main characters are enjoyable and fully rounded. Their various idiosyncrasies make them real and help the relationships between them to develop. Luckily, there isn’t much of the story that takes place in the actual school (as I find this boring). You do wonder how he would have got away with things in real life without the school becoming more involved. Squid is timid and a book worm. The new girl is brave, beautiful and outgoing, and Finnegan is somewhere in between. The story gradually builds and builds with more and more terrifying monsters and goals, including a woman with dead eyes, who, spoiler alert, has a lot to do with the new girl. I like how the action doesn’t just go from a to z, but switches around and around.